Source map: Federal Office of Topography swisstopo. Distance from grid to grid: 1km.
Legend:
- Red line: Outline of the future glacial lake. Source: Above-mentioned study.
- Red dot 4 = Our
location 4.
- Red dot 8 = Our location 8.
- Yellow line = Viewing angle of the panoramic photos below.
- Line in magenta = beginning/end of the viewing angles.
Points 4 and 8 were measured with a handheld GPS device.
The screenshot from map.admin.ch was taken on 15.2.2023.
The map shows the status as of approx. 2015.
Key data of Lake A according to the study:
- Area: 8400m2
- Greatest depth: 5.6m
- Mean depth: 2.9m
- Lake level: 2737m a.s.l.
The panoramic photo below was taken from
location 8. The panoramic photo shows a viewing angle of approx. 155°. See also the situation plan above.
Situation glacial lake on 11.7.2022.
Situation
As can be seen in the repeat photos of
location 4 can be seen, a lake had already formed in the area of the future glacier lake before 2016. This was dammed on the south side by a dam made of debris (and possibly rocks) and on the east side by the Chaltwasser glacier. Due to the melting of the glacier tongue, the lake expanded further to the east. At the same time, the level of the lake sank bit by bit. This is because the drainage always took place at a lower point. On 11.7.2022, we therefore encountered a lake that is much smaller than the one from 2016.
In the panoramic photo above (and a rudimentary aerial view below), it can be seen that a shallow depression has formed in a north-easterly direction.
Aerial view of Gletschersee on 11.7.2022.
Legend:
Viewing direction: approx. towards the east.
- Green dots: Earlier drainage of the lake. On 11.7.2022 the water flowed out of the lake via glacier.
- Light blue dots: Dead ice covered with debris is visible in this area.
- Red dot: Our location 8 (= location of the panorama photo above).
The future lake was to be created slightly above the centre of the picture.
Our assessment
It is conceivable that a shallow lake will form. The level of the lake is likely to be higher than the 2737m shown in the study. This is assuming that the 2741.7m shown on map.admin.ch for the level of the southern lake is correct.
Location
Our location 8 is located on a boulder, which lies on the dam mentioned above.
Outlook
We will probably capture the situation again in the 2024 season and then update this page.